How To Find Trusted Apartment Movers

There is no one size fits all solution for people looking for apartment movers, but there a few guidelines that will prevent fraud and a bad fit. In a huge city, there can be hundreds of businesses to choose from, so get ready to do some searching before finding the ideal company.

Most people assume that the best way to locate a group of professionals is to go online. While this will provide a nice starting point, it should not be the only way a client tracks down apartment movers. Jump on the internet, put together a short list of businesses that are nearby and have a nice web presence, and get ready to vet them more closely.

A few cautionary words: the transport industry is lightly regulated, and this means that many fraudulent companies are out there and are ready to prey on unsuspecting people. Most of these unscrupulous outfits wring money out of people by filling their contracts with unfair conditions and gouging people once their belongings are locked away. Some victims have been hit for thousands of dollars, so take the vetting process seriously.

Okay, back to the search. Take the short list of prospective companies and call area real estate agencies or the new complex about them. Ask them what apartment movers they recommend, and be ready to rearrange the list after asking around. Real estate professionals won’t tolerate any nonsense from the transport professionals they deal with, so their advice should be pretty solid.

Once this updated list is put together, contact the ones that have made the final cut and ask them to provide an in-house estimate. Don’t accept a quote over the phone, as they are prone to skyrocket once the big day comes. Some businesses bank on this scenario, and haul in extra cash because of it at the consumer’s expense. Any apartment movers that won’t provide an estimation at the home should be crossed off the list.

Bring them out one at a time (obviously), but save the most promising one for last. That way, previous estimates can be used as leverage to bring their cost down if it’s too high. Verify that they will be doing the transport themselves, and not subcontracting the work out. Do not patronize any business that will be handing the work off to someone else. Don’t hire a company that provides an estimate based on cubic feet, and not weight either, as the former is easy to manipulate, while the latter is not.

Apartment movers all have a Department of Transportation license number. Get this number from every group that provides an estimate. Get a copy of their contract, review it thoroughly and if that checks out, take the DoT number online for one more security check. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s website to verify motor carrier licensing is Safersys.com. Input the DoT number on the site, and if the site can’t find it, cross that group off the list. If the number checks out, it should bring up all of the company’s relevant information, including size, certifications and insurance coverage. If there are any red flags, they should show up here, and if everything checks out, that’s one transport professional worth going with.